Loving Fools
by FutureCam
Summary: Two years have passed since Nergal's fall, and life continues as it used to. Eliwood struggles to prevent Lycia tearing itself apart, while a certain teal-haired maiden returns to escape recession. The Tactician has lost faith, but can Raven restore it?
1. Prologue: Records

**Loving Fools**

A/N: The reason 100 Spars hasn't been updated in almost two months! It's not long, I know, but it's to judge general reception to the idea. I know EliFiora isn't that popular, and I don't even know if any F!Tactician/Raven fics EXIST, but…I tried to make it work.  
>**<p>

_Prologue Part One – Records of a Sanguine Lord_

**  
><em>TWO YEARS POST NERGAL<em>

One year, Five months, two weeks and six days. That's how long it's been since we last saw each other, at the border between Etruia and Lycia. Since then…we just slowly dripped apart. Even Hector and Lyn only saw me briefly – the last time was at Marquess Caelin's funeral one month ago. Lyn left for Sacae again recently, and that's probably the last I'd ever see of her.

We'd all become so close…not so much an army as a band or a fellowship of some kind. We endured so many hardships together, so many battles, all under the guidance of that one, brilliant woman.

At any rate…I do miss all the others. But some of them I miss more than any…in particular, I miss her the most.

Fiora…

"Lord Eliwood?"

I was snapped back to reality by Merlinus' gentle urging. I glanced at him through tired eyes, smiling a little. At least some of the most dependable were still here.  
>"I'm sorry, Merlinus. I drifted off again…what was it I needed to do?"<p>

"Well, there's the matter of the disaster relief in Araphen, and of course Marquess Erik is making noise about how Laus should be treated more equally while Marquess Orun is desperately trying to make sure Hector doesn't resort to just killing ninety percent of them to see if that'll make things run smoother…"

I smiled slightly at that last part. Trust Hector to go for the blunt route…

"I take it I have yet another council meeting soon?"  
>"Yes, Lord Eliwood."<br>I groaned in despair. "Alright…I'll go get the horse ready…"  
>**<p>

_Prologue part two – Records of a Lost Soul _

Yet another night at a cold table, I suppose. Ever since we returned from fighting Nergal, it turned out that Ilia entered an economic recession as the world entered a more stable form of peace…our mercenaries were no longer required, and so the cornerstone of our economy collapsed. At least the payment Lord Eliwood gave us is good enough…although the 20,000 Farina 'produced' was what's really helped us out.

Of course…now that that's run out…I have absolutely no clue what we're going to do. Farina already left last week to try and find new work, leaving Florina and myself here to fend for ourselves. I hope she'll come back soon, but…we may just have to leave Ilia altogether.

Naturally, our roof chose that moment to fall down. I sighed and buried my face in my hands. Looked like we didn't really have a choice…

_Prologue Part Three – Records of a Broken Mind_

_My name is Jen Elizabeth Graesin. I'm a tactician by trade. The following are my memoirs, taken from the journal I wrote during the war I served in before this act. To whoever finds it, I implore you to deliver it to Lady Lyndis of Caelin, who is most likely living in Sacae once again, as her grandfather died recently._

_I am writing this because I am about to die. I failed them. I promised that no-one would die on my watch, but as soon as we set foot on that isle once again, I failed._

_Harken, Isadora, and Serra were the first to go, in the battle against the morphs. At least Harken and Isadora can live together in the afterlife. I am…surprised that Matthew has remained sane with both of his loves taken from him._

_The final one was Will. He was burned alive by the dragon we fought, a distraction to prevent the fate happening to Rebecca._

_If I'd thought faster, clearer, not been so terrified or astonished…I could have saved them. They didn't need to die._

_It's all because of me. No-one will ever be harmed by me again._

_Goodbye._

I breathed a sigh and glanced out over the cliffs, tucking the letter and book into my cloak. I was somewhere on the borders between what used to be Cornwell and some other Lycian province – I was beyond caring.

I took a step forward, a smile gracing my face as the wind whipped around me.

_I've always wondered how it must feel to fly._

_Prologue Part Four – Records of a Wandering Blade_

My name is Raven. It used to be Raymond Cornwell, but I gave up on that many years ago. I am a mercenary by trade, travelling with my friend Lucius. I had been returning to Cornwell after saying goodbye to my sister in Etruia, and had no idea this was what I was going to find.

I rushed over to her broken body, stroking raven hair out of her once tanned, now pale, face, matted blood at the corner of her blood suggesting she'd been like this for a while.

_Why would you do this, Jen?_

Suddenly, a very slight, shuddering breath came from the body. A few seconds later, another one.

"LUCIUS! GET OVER HERE, NOW!"


	2. Chapter 1: Thoughts

**Loving Fools**

**  
>Chapter One, Part One: Thoughts of a Sanguine Lord<p>**<br>_Let's get this over with._ I thought glumly, getting on my horse. Ten hour ride until we reach anything resembling civilization. I can't wait. Lowen and Marcus rode up beside me, faithful to the end, just as I set off.

I found my thoughts straying back two years, to a certain flower I encountered…

"_**It's strange. Nothing I recognize, at any rate." Canas muttered, glaring at the ground. "That can't be right. The proportions are all out of touch."  
>I chuckled and walked over to him. "Something wrong?"<br>"This plant shouldn't exist, Lord Eliwood." He twitched dangerously. "It defies logic."  
>"First time I've ever seen you act like this, Canas." I chuckled. "So what if it isn't logical? This entire place is illogical! We're underground, and we just met someone who was meant to be long dead."<br>Canas sighed and stood up. "You may have a point. Well, some things just can't be explained…"  
>He wandered off, muttering to himself. I chuckled and looked down at the flower myself. Ruby red outside petals slowly wandered into a soft teal at their roots, with a purple zone between them. I plucked one of them and sniffed it cautiously. Strange, smelt like seawater. I think I see where Canas was coming from.<strong>_

"_**Lord Eliwood?" A soft voice came from behind me. I smiled and turned.**_

"_**Fiora. Is everyone else ready, then?"  
>Fiora nodded. "Yes. We're just waiting for you and Jen."<br>I blushed and put my hand behind my head. "Well, sorry to keep you waiting." I offered my hand to her. "Shall we?"  
>She took it, somewhat shyly, and we walked down towards the main hall. I glanced at the flower still in my hand.<strong>_

"_**I need to talk to Jen before we leave. Tell the others we'll only be a minute." I said quickly, glancing towards the illusive tactician's room. Fiora nodded, breaking away.**_

"_**Right."  
>Just as she broke away, I sneaked the flower into her hair. She jumped, startled, and touched it briefly. I smiled at her.<strong>_

"_**I thought it matched your hair." I said calmly, marching off towards Jen's room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the usually serious Pegasus knight dissolve into a blushing and stuttering mess like her sister.**_

'_**It must run in the family.' I thought with a chuckle.  
><strong>_I was broken from the somewhat pleasant memory by Marcus pointing ahead. "Look, sir. The border camp to Ostia is right ahead. We should be in the League Hall by midday tomorrow, if we stop to rest here."  
>I nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. I could use some sleep – and I bet the border guards wouldn't mind an actually good cook, right?" I joked, nudging Lowen in the ribs. He smirked and nodded.<p>

_Well, at least the journey isn't going to be so boring._

**  
><strong>Chapter One, Part Two: Thoughts of a Lost Soul<strong>

I hoisted the last saddlebag of food over Huey's back, watching as Florina finished writing the note for Farina, if she came back this way.

"All set, Florina?" I called over to her, walking back over to my own Pegasus. Florina nodded.

"Yes, I think so. I'm ready to leave now."  
>We took off in a few seconds, heading out away from Ilia. Our flight path was already set – visit Pent, Louise, Erk and his new wife Priscilla on our way down, fly across Lycia, and arrive somewhere in Pherae to ask Eliwood for help. I'm not sure why we went there first – we could just go straight to the council to request aid, but…<p>

No, this isn't for Ilia. This is for ourselves, and we both know it. We aren't requesting aid for a country – we just want a roof over our heads and a job, and it'll be easier if we just join Pherea's knights or something. But in that case, Ostia would make a better choice…

…except for one thing, something that can be summed down to who gave me the pressed and preserved flower on my headband.

I'm being selfish again…but it doesn't feel wrong this time. I think Florina picked up on it, but she's not the type to say anything – thank Elimine.

**Chapter One, Part Three: Thoughts of a Broken Mind**  
>**<p>

_Where am I?  
>Is this the afterlife? Heaven? Purgatory?<br>Hell, like I deserve for leading innocents to their deaths?_

_No, it's not hell, if it was he'd be here for certain…_

_But then where…_

_What? Water? I can't…drowning? No! No! This isn't how I'm dying. Surface…where's the surface!  
>There! Alright, Jen, kick up. Quickly. Don't let yourself be stopped-<em>

_I can't move my legs. Why can't I move my legs?  
>Struggle…wave arms…pull yourself up…no…it's getting further…I don't want to drown…I don't want to drown…<br>No…no…noooooooooo!_

**Chapter One, Part Four: Thoughts of a Wandering Blade**  
>**<p>

I cursed as I put another wet cloth on Jen's forehead. Lucius had managed to heal the damage caused by the fall, but she's slipped into some kind of coma. Not a conventional one, but…a state of semi-consciousness. Almost like a dream, but she can't wake up.

Apparently, she'd hit an outcrop on the way down, breaking her left leg but robbing her of enough momentum to ensure the fall wasn't lethal. She still had five shattered ribs, all of her limbs broken and dislocated, and severe damage to her lower spinal cord, which Lucius isn't even sure he's fixed right. Even if she wakes up, she might never walk again.

So, he walks off to the nearest town to find a proper cleric, leaving me in our camp. I suggested taking her with us, but he said moving her might make it worse. Not the first time he's given me advice…but the first time it was an actual order, as opposed to a recommendation.

He wasn't messing around with how serious her situation is. She stopped stirring, her upper body stopping its spasms, her legs still as unearthly still as they had been since she jumped.

I'd read the note. I don't understand why she's blaming herself – none of us were happy they died, but she did well to get as all that far alive. It wasn't her fault. Isadora was caught by surprise, ambushed by that…bitch, Limstella, and annihilated in one shot. Harken went mad, and charged straight at her, only to have his weapons removed by blasts of Fimbulveter and held still until Limstella carved out his heart with her knife.

Serra had gone down earlier – The Uhai morph somehow managed to get a clear shot with its bow. It went straight through her eye, and she never stood a chance.

Finally, Will. As for her attempting to find blame there…I don't know what the hell she was thinking. She even admitted that if he hadn't done it, Rebecca would have gone instead. It was his choice, not her mistake. None of us were ready when those things came through. I suppose she thought that if she'd kept her wits about her for the five seconds more it took for Ninian and Brammimond to show up and be the big damn heroes…

No. Down that path lies insanity. I should know, I've been down it, and after she wakes up we are having a VERY long talk.  
>Why am I fixating so much on this? We didn't even talk much – unless you count her barking orders at me talking. We had one significant interaction, and that was on the ship to Valor for the second time. I found her crying in the storage hull, huddled between two barrels. She said…some bad memory was messing her up, and she couldn't sleep on her own. I don't know what the hell possessed me to sit in the chair in her room overnight, but I did it. Her nightmare was…something about her parents. I asked Lyn about it the next day, and apparently she's always had them – but never as bad as last night. I shoved it aside, not really caring much. Something tells me that whatever happened to her parents causes her to be this sort of…perfectionist, always taking it hard when something goes wrong, always blaming herself…it would explain why she isolated herself so much, and apologized all the time outside of combat.<p>

Her mouth opened in that silent scream again, and I switched the cloth, rubbing the side of her face. One storm-grey eye opened, staring sightlessly at the roof of the tent, before shutting again.  
><em>Come on, Jen…don't let this beat you!<em>


	3. Chapter 2: Travels

**Loving Fools**

**  
>Chapter Two, Part One: Travels of a Sanguine Lord<p>

**  
>"-And that's when Jaffar fell over a tent pole." Lowen said solemnly. The border guards burst into laughter.<p>

"Yer kidding me! Ye've got ta be kidding me!"  
>Lowen shook his head. "I am not, my friend. We were quite a…dysfunctional group."<br>The border guard nearest Lowen shook his head. "Ye've got tha' right."

I just grinned and returned to my book. It was always good to see Lowen unwind once in a while – he was far too uptight occasionally – although I'm guilty of the same crime, in all likelihood. Marcus glanced at me.

"Is something troubling you, my lord?"  
>"I'm fine, Marcus."<br>"With all due respect, my lord, you are not."  
>I raised an eyebrow at him, putting the book down. "And your reasoning is…?"<br>"You've been reading the disclaimer for the last twenty minutes."  
>I shut the book guiltily. "You got me, Marcus. Sorry, it's just that seeing Hector and everyone again – I keep wishing everyone else could be there, too."<br>"Everyone else?"  
>"Okay, maybe not Karel, but you know what I mean."<br>"Actually, I believed you were focusing more on a certain knight, but I'll accept that answer." Marcus deadpanned. I gave him a slight glare, even though I knew he was right.

"Marcus…" I warned, although my heart wasn't quite in it. Marcus nodded.

"I'd get some rest, my lord. We need to leave early tomorrow if you don't want to add another day to our travel time."  
>"Right. I'll get right to it."<br>I shoved my book back into my bag, before heading towards the stairs. As I did so, I caught one last remnant of Lowen's latest story

"- and that's when Raven threw Erk through the window for touching his sister, even if she started it."

Another roar of laughter ripped through the halls, and I just chuckled as I remembered that particular incident. Erk must have flown twenty feet out that window – poor Dorcas ended up acting as his crash-pad.

I managed to shut the door, and glanced around the room. Fairly Spartan – just what you need to live. I've gotten used to it. I settled down on the bed, pulling out the book again, glancing at the title.

_History of Ilian Politics_

Flipping it open back to the disclaimer, I gazed fondly at the scrawled note in the corner.

_- I figured you might need some help with Ilian relations at some point in the future. It's standard issue at the academy, so you don't need to worry about me missing it. Fiora._

Thanks for the parting gift, Fiora. Not that I've gotten around to reading anything other than the disclaimer yet…

****  
>Chapter Two, Part Two: Travels of a Lost Soul<strong>  
>**<p>

Despite all the experience I've had, it still amazes me exactly how far a Pegasus can take you in a single night if you aren't doing anything other than a straight line. We ended up from Ilia to about halfway through Etruia over the course of an afternoon, and we must have reached the border by maybe…seven? I know we didn't see any other town before we set down in a small village in the middle of nowhere. I suppose it was peaceful at the least. I sighed and turned over in my bed, unable to sleep, even though we had another twelve hours of flight ahead of us before we got anywhere near Pherae. Florina was out like a log, so I just decided to go for a quick walk. Like anything could happen during that…

…for once in my life, I don't regret thinking something like that. It wasn't that nothing happened – I'm never that lucky – but it wasn't necessarily unpleasant. I always did get along well with Heath.

"What are you doing out this far, anyway?" I asked, walking alongside him for a while. Heath shrugged noncommittally.  
>"I'm looking for Vaida. She just took off and flew away about a week ago – I resigned my commission to go looking for her."<br>I blinked. "Do you have any idea where she could be by now?"  
>Heath sighed. "I was guessing somewhere in the southwest of Etruia, or maybe northwest Lycia. She wouldn't go anywhere there isn't fighting, and there's enough petty bandits on that region to keep her busy for a long time."<br>I nodded. "Tell you what. We're heading further south to try and get a job with Lord Eliwood. If you want, we can search for her on the way down. Where should I tell her to meet you?"  
>Heath's face split into a huge grin. "That'd be great. Just north of Vallarea waterfall would be the best, if it's possible."<br>I nodded, also smiling. "By all means. I should be getting back by now – I've got to get some kind of sleep."  
>Heath held up a hand. "Before you go – you know how you just kind of took off after the last battle and giving Eliwood that book?"<br>I looked at him, trying desperately not to blush. "…yeah, what about it? I had places to be…"  
>Heath's face told me he didn't think much of my attempt to cover it up, but he continued anyway. "Well, you left before he could pass you this."<br>He tossed a small parcel at me, which I fumbled to try and catch. "He even sent me after you, but…well, Vaida kind of ordered me off of it…and I forgot." He grinned sheepishly. "Goodnight, Fiora."  
>I mumbled something in reply as he wandered off towards the hills, where he'd probably hidden his Wyvern. I looked at the parcel in my hands, tossing it around gently for a while before I put it in my kit bag.<p>

_Whatever it was, it felt fragile._ I thought calmly. _It'd make more sense to wait until we actually have something resembling quarters to open it in._

I walked back inside the inn and snuck into my bunk below Florina's, sighing and closing my eyes. Going to take a while to get out of this…

**  
>Chapter Two, Part Three: Travels of a Broken Mind<p>

**  
><em>I can't – I can't be seeing this again. It's impossible. I refuse for this to be the only thing I remember – there's got to be something better – Lyn! Meeting Lyn! That worked before – no! no! No! I didn't let them die! I tried! I tried! Father, I tried, please! I tried – I'm not worthless! I didn't let them die! I'm stronger than that! Please, just give me another chance! I can protect – I can protect everyone! I can do it! I – I can be perfect!<br>I can be perfect…please…just…don't make me watch…oh god…oh god…Elimine…why did you let me live? Please – someone…please…help…help…I – I can't run away from this…please…help…me…_

_Wha? This memory…what is this? Raven?  
>He – he stayed?<br>He stayed…he protected me…he…I…please…help me now….Raven…_

…_Father, no! Please! I'll do better! I'll do better! I'll-_

"Jen? Hey, Jen, you alright?"  
><em>…Raven? No…no…nonono…this…this is NOT real. <em>

"C'mon, Jen, you can fight this!"

_This is my mind. GET. OUT.  
>...ah, crap, I'm going to wake up screaming, aren't I?<em>

**  
>Chapter Two, Part Four: Travels of a Wandering Blade<p>

**  
>I was just starting to doze off when Jen bolted upright, screaming her lungs out. I hate to admit I almost fell out of my chair, but…there you have it. Lucius and the bishop that ran the hospice dashed in at the same time, Lucius knocking me out of the way as he got there.<p>

…Freaking LUCIUS. What, is it national humiliate-Raven-by-making-him-look-like-a-weakling-day?  
>Thankfully, none of them noticed, and I managed to linger by the side of the bed while Lucius and the bishop checked her over a few times. I couldn't make out much of what they were saying, but it didn't sound good, and they seemed to be concentrating on her hips. I grew tired of them flirting around the issue, and cut to the chase.<p>

"Jen. Can you feel your legs."  
>Jen snapped out of her cold sweat and looked at me, wide-eyed. It looked like she was having some kind of fit.<p>

"You…you really were here…watching…again…"  
>I filed that away for later, and scowled for effect. "Jen…can you feel your legs or not?"<p>

Jen glanced around, and then…I think she tried to turn around to dangle her legs over the bed, but her lower body wouldn't move. Her eyes widened as she prodded them.

"N…no…"  
>It looked like she was going to have another fit. I opened my mouth – I swear I was going to say something positive this time – when Lucius shot me a glare that could have killed that damn dragon in one hit.<br>I took the hint, and left the room. The murmurs from behind the door, along with the bishop's serious tone of voice, told me the main thing – Jen was probably never going to walk again.

I sighed, the cynical part of me that had been there WAY to long telling me that she was a tactician – not like she needed to walk. It was her own damn fault, anyway. She threw herself off the damn cliff.

But then the part of me that Priscilla had started to bring back – that had come back completely that night – came to bear, and reminded me that we have no clue what drove her to do that – what could make someone so desperate to be perfect that a slight mar could ruin their day, and the deaths of troops under her command could make her commit suicide?  
>That part won, and I had two missions – make her feel better about this, and find out what the hell was going through her head.<p>

Strangely, I looked forward to the prospect of spending time with her.


End file.
